By Reese Pastrana and Kate Quiambao

Last February 9 & 10, the ASHS opened its doors to the public and held its first ever fair since the pandemic. This year’s fair, entitled “Elesina,”  was not only a fundraising event for all crowds to enjoy, but was also a symbol of perseverance, service, and cooperation between the students and the entire ASHS Community. However, despite its undoubtable triumphs, there were also trials and lapses that became apparent during the overall fair itself.

After the much awaited event, many fairgoers shared comments online about their negative experiences along its course. Concerns and reactions regarding Elesina’s planning and execution began to circulate all over the community, making everyone wonder what might have actually happened during the crucial stages of the fair. From missing tickets to long waiting times, what are the underlying factors that may have led to these said shortcomings?

Dark Skies and Harsh Winds

Under the leadership of Fair Overall Head Hannah Porca, Elesina stood out as a fulfilling experience despite the inevitable challenges that truly took out blood, sweat, and tears from the committee. Among other challenges, one significant obstacle for the core was balancing students’ preferences while striving to also meet the fair’s objectives, which included raising funds for the ASHS Scholars and the CSIP department. While this served as a crucial factor for the core’s decision-making process, securing sponsors proved to be one of their most formidable hurdles, constituting the other issues that arose in the event proper. 

For Sir Kynan Del Rosario, the Fair Moderator this school year, the committee found it challenging to persuade sponsors to be on-board, given that many companies and brands had changed how they allocate their resources to promote their funds since the pandemic began. In addressing this issue, he stated, “We were able to craft sponsorship packages, ones that take into consideration what brands now prefer in terms of mileage, after making initial changes to the traditional fair sponsorship packages.” As a result, the committee only secured sponsors around two to three months before the fair. However, with the fair under the wire, the lack of funding—resulting from the shortage of sponsors—had various repercussions for the entire committee, constraining different aspects of the event.

Finance

While managing the queue lines and pre-order system just to allow crowds to enter the fair itself, the committee already confronted a major challenge. To preface this issue, there had initially been a pre-selling system for ASHS students to distribute their tickets from February 5-7, several days before the event. This strategy aimed to prevent the hassle of walk-in purchases and long lines. However, when only some of the tickets were distributed to students the day before the fair, this resulted in further inconveniences during the event proper as students had to claim them from the class officers, who were the sole authorized distributors of the pre-ordered tickets.

The Finance Department clarified that this issue was caused by a problem with the supplier. A member of the core committee elaborated, saying, “The main issue with the pre-order system of the tickets was the arrival of the physical tickets… Due to unforeseen circumstances, the supplier only delivered the entrance tickets on the day before the fair, while the concert and student’s night tickets were delivered on the morning of the fair itself.” Adding to this problem was the need to manually count and organize them per section and block out the sponsors who backed out last-minute. Despite the controversy surrounding this challenge, the Finance Department still administered the most feasible solutions given the constraints of limited time and resources.

Security

Moving on to the event proper, another controversy sparked regarding the implementation of the security measures and practices during the fair. Red Espiritu, the head of the Security Department, explained that they faced understaffing issues even during the preparation phase, a challenge for a department reliant on manpower. To address this, Espiritu mentioned that they had to tap other organizations and committees such as the Fair Logistics Committee and Sandigan Kanlaon. However, with a whole two-day Fair, the members, along with the “honorary members,” were not enough to cover the entire event.

Beforehand, there had been a shift system created in order to ensure that a member was guarding or roaming all areas that needed to be covered. The department organized these shifts based on member availability and preferences. Alongside this, the initial plan was to have all working hours among the members to be equal—the standard being four hours of guarding per member. However, the Security Department needed to make drastic adjustments whenever someone could not fulfill their shift or only part of their shift. The issue that arose from the overworked conditions of its members came as a consequence of this system.

Espiritu attributed adjustments to the shift system between Day 1 and Day 2 to unforeseen circumstances. Members were asked if they were willing to extend their shifts from four hours to six hours or take on double shifts. On Day 2, the department, in consultation with their moderators, decided to tap those who had already worked during Day 1 to continue for Day 2 instead of sticking to the originally assigned shifts and members for Day 2. With the work piled upon the department, this led to the members having to extend and go beyond their said shifts. 

Additionally, there was a lack of communication and coordination within the security department and with other departments under the Fair Committee. Espiritu mentioned that there were certain policies that were not really disseminated among the members, such as who was allowed at the entrance—whether only those with IDs or if it was open to everyone. Moreover, the Security Department received late notification from the other departments, such as Special Events, regarding the need for maximum coverage in the pit area during the concert. As a result, they had to tap all their members, even those not scheduled for duty, to secure the pit. 

Resources and support were given to the members as compensation for their perseverance during the event. During their breaks, they were allowed to sit around their holding area, which was equipped with air conditioning, in order to refresh themselves. The core also checked up on them regarding their shifts. “From time to time naman, kinakausap namin sila if willing sila gawin ‘tong shift na ‘to or if not, meron ba silang masusuggest na kung sino pwede mag-cover for them,” Espiritu said while explaining how significant constant communication had been within the department. 

According to a security member, it would have been better if the shifts were announced beforehand rather than on the actual fair dates, which could have allowed them ample time to prepare for their assigned shifts. This may have also helped avoid exacerbating the issue of overworking the members. They added that better communication and organization could have eased the issues that arose from the various unpredictable changes.

Mini Events

During the morning performances at the fair, the Mini Events Committee, in collaboration with the Music Industry Organization (MIO), launched Bluelapalooza, an event that spanned both days of the fair, featuring performances by various talented ASHS student bands and groups. However, circumstances led to the controversial conflict between the Mini Events Committee and MIO, casting a shadow over the otherwise festive event.

The conflict initially revolved around accommodating the performers, reducing some of their setlists, and handling program delays—issues that had not necessarily been communicated properly by both parties. Initially, MIO was responsible for organizing the program flow, inviting acts, hosting, ushering artists, and communicating with performers, while the Mini Events Committee managed the stage budget, promotions, and event co-coordination. 

However, JC Villafuerte, the Vice Organization Head of MIO, expressed his sentiments regarding the agreements they had set, emphasizing that miscommunication between MIO’s logistics and Mini Events’ members started to overcomplicate the process. For one, he stated, “Throughout the event, these roles became quite convoluted and started turning into a breach in boundaries when it came to doing the things we were supposed to be handling.” He detailed that managing the performers presented significant challenges, with reports from both artists and MIO members regarding lost or misplaced equipment, such as instrument bags and cables. There were also last-minute alterations to time slots, resulting in shortened performances, forcing some artists who had originally prepared for a 15-minute set to condense their acts into just 10 minutes.

On the second day, more issues arose, as the program was initially delayed by 45 minutes, eventually extending to an entire hour. Villafuerte noted that, “Some of the artists specifically requested to perform during certain times due to different complications and schedules.” This led to a rearrangement of the intended lineup.

However, on top of all the challenges faced in the collaboration, one incident stood out the most. This occurred when a member of the Mini Events Committee took the microphone from one of MIO’s hosts, openly halting the entire program to prepare for the arrival of “bigger artists.”  Villafuerte shared his sentiment regarding this, saying, “From a performers’ perspective, it proved to be an extremely humiliating display of power, imposing the necessity for their set to be shunned in order to allocate for another artist.” While this incident was witnessed by the audience and generated discussions online, it underscores lapses that were not only professional but also deeply personal.

From the perspective of the Mini Events committee, they stated that, “We also met a lot of uncontrollable factors that happened at the fair like the late soundcheck, technical issues, and schedule changes, which affected the whole event.” A member of the department emphasized the importance of strictly adhering to the event schedule. They also noted that many committee members were unfamiliar with the proper procedures, which may have contributed to the occurrence of these lapses.

Special Events

For the fair schedule, special events occur after the mini-events, just minutes after attendees are ushered outside to present their tickets once again for the concerts on both days. Despite budget constraints, the Fair Committee tried their best to secure performers who would be known to many. Special Events Head Brent Gonzales shared that they had to budget their time and resources wisely and productively, especially when unexpected events arose. “Some challenges that we had during Fair were handling last-minute requests from artists, technical difficulties, and schedule-moving due to unforeseen circumstances,” Gonzales explained.

On the second day of the fair, the extended wait for Lola Amour’s performance became a focal point of attention. As the concluding act of the event, audience expectations had been high. However, disappointment began to set in as attendees endured nearly an hour of standing just to witness the band’s performance. Lola Amour’s preparation for their set, initially planned to only run for 10 minutes, impacted the fair’s overall schedule, causing it to conclude later than anticipated. Gonzales attributed this delay to unforeseen technical difficulties. 

Kirk Dela Torre, a member of the Special Events Committee, explained that one of the challenges he faced in fulfilling his responsibilities was the lack of preparation and training in handling the electronic equipment at the booth. “We had to figure out on our own how to operate the software that was provided to us. We had to familiarize ourselves with the software with only five minutes left until the start of the event,” he stated. This highlights the urgent necessity to prioritize thorough preparation and training for committee members, ensuring that they are fully acquainted with their roles and responsibilities. Such measures are essential to prevent any instances of unpreparedness during critical events.

Persisting Through Whirlwinds

The quote, “There are no problems, just concerns,” by Sir Del Rosario served as a guiding principle for Porca and the rest of the fair core, reminding them that every issue could be addressed with the right approach. While the event was not flawless, it is important to recognize that the organizers behind it are also students. They were not meant to work around the clock or devote a quarter of the school year solely to the event. Nevertheless, they adapted quickly and strived to deliver the most optimized high school fair experience for ASHS while staying true to their objective: aiding the event’s beneficiaries.

However, this does not negate the fact that many attendees, collaborators, and performers were also affected by occasional lapses. All departments have learned valuable lessons that will benefit the next batch, including adding manpower, refining packages, providing more training for members, and, most importantly, improving communication among all parties involved in the event. While some conflicts are being addressed internally, it is important for the Fair Committee to ensure that they offer fair resolutions that address any losses incurred as a result of the event’s repercussions. After all, they willingly accepted accountability for all potential outcomes of the event when they signed up for their respective roles.